Belt-tightener for motor-cycles.



W. S. HARLEY. BELT TIGHTBNBR POE MOTOR CYCLES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 27, 1909.

Patented 001 18, 1910.

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WILLIAM S. HARLEY, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR COMPANY, OF MILWAUKEE, VI'ISCONSIN.

BELT-TIGHTENER FOR MOTOR-CYCLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. November 27, 1909.

Patented Oct. 18, 191%.

Serial No. 530,202.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, l/NILLIAM S. HARLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented. certain new and useful Improvements in Belt- Tighteners for Motor-Cycles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to motorcycles and more particularly to means for regulating the tension of the flexible driving element or belt.

The object of the invention is to provide a belt tightener which is simple and durable in construction and by means of which the operator may adjust the tension of the driving belt without the necessity of leaving his seat or without stopping the motor.

A further object is toprovide a belt tightener including an oscillating memben journaled on the bearing of the motor shaft and having one end thereof provided with an idle roller or pulley and its opposite end formed with a gear sector, there being an operating lever pivotally mounted above the oscillating member and provided with a segmental rack adapted to mesh with the gear sector for moving the roller or pulley into or out of engagement with thedriving'belt.

A still further object of the invention is generally to improve this class of devices so as to increase their utility, durability and efficiency.

Further objects and advantages will appear in the following description, it being understood that various changes in form, proportions and minor details of construction may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims.

For a full understanding of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction and the means for effecting the result, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of a portion of a motorcycle provided with the belt tightener constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view, parts being shown in elevation; Fig. 3 is a detail vertical sectional view of the upper end of the operating lever; Fig. 4 is a detail side elevation partly in section of the spring actuated plunger of said operatflexible driving element or belt 9 with the rear wheel or pulley 10. r

The device comprises an oscillating member 11 having an intermediate sleeve or 001- lar 12 loosely mounted on the shaft bearing 13 between the inner face of the pulley 8 and the adjacent face of the motor casing 6.

The oscillating member 11 is provided with a depending angularly disposed arm 14; having an idle pulley or roller 15 journaled on the free end thereof and adapted to be moved into engagement with the flexible driving element 9 for the purpose of regulating the tension of the same. The upper end of the oscillating member 11 is formed with a gear sector 16, which latter meshes with a segmental rack 17 carried by an opcrating lever 18. The operating lever 18 is hollow and pivotally mounted at 19 on suit able lugs 20 carried by the motor casing 6. If desired however, the lever 18 may be pivotally mounted on the supporting frame 5 or any other suitable support without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Slidably mounted in the upper end of the operating lever 18, is a plunger 21 having a vertically disposed slot 22, which registers with a corresponding slot 28 formed in the level 18 to permit the passage of a rack bar 2 1. The lower wall of the slot 22 is provided with a beveled portion or tooth 25, which latter is normally and yieldably supported I in engagement with the teeth 26 by means of (3011 spring 27, one end of said coil spring being secured to a spacing block 28 and the other end thereof arranged to bear against the bottom of the plunger 21. Thus it will be seen that by exerting a downward pressure on the finger piece 29 of the plunger, the tooth 25 will be disengaged from the teeth 26 on the rack 24 so that by moving the operating lever 18 to the right, the teeth on the segmental rack 17 will mesh with the gear sector 16 and thus move .the idle --roller or pulley 15 into engagement with the flexible driving element 9 and tighten the same when necessary. When the lever 18 is moved in the opposite direction, the idle pulley or roller 15 will be swung downwardly out of engagement with the flexible element, the spring 27 serving to force the tooth 25 into engagement with the teeth on the rack 24 and lock the lever 18 in adjusted position as soon as the hand is released from the finger piece 29.

The intermediate portion of the operating lever 18 is preferably formed with an integral sleeve or collar 30 which receives the pivot pin or bolt 19 and serves to space the upper portion of the lever 18 from the cylinder of the motor.

Attention is here called to the fact that the sleeve or collar 12 is housed within the rim of the pulley 8, the inner face of said pulley being spaced from the adjacent face of the motor casing 6 a sufiicient distance to permit the passage of the segmental rack 17. By such a construction, the sleeve 12 is effectually housed and protected by the rim of the pulley 8, while the inner face thereof forms in effect a guide for both the sector 16 and segmental rack 17.

The rack 24 may be secured to any fixed portion of the machine, but it is preferred to fasten the same to one side of the oil tank 31 and to this end, the opposite ends of the rack are provided with laterally extending ears 32 which are bolted, riveted or otherwise rigidly secured at 33 to said tank, as shown.

In order to prevent accidental displace ment of the oscillating member 11, a retaining ring 3 1 is provided, one end of said ring being threaded for engagement with a correspondingly threaded sleeve or bushing 35, while the opposite end thereof is provided with an annular flange 36 which bears against the adjacent end of the sleeve 12 of the oscillating member, as shown.

Thus it will be seen that the operator may regulate the tension of the driving element or belt 9 without the necessity of leaving his seat or without stopping the motor.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a motorcycle, the combination with a bearing, of a motor shaftjournaled in said bearing and provided with a driving pulley, a flexible driving element engaging said pulley, an oscillating member journaled on said bearing, means mounted on one end of the oscillating member for engagement with the flexible driving element, a lever operatively connected with the other end of said oscillating member for actuating the latter, and means for holding the lever in different positions of adjustment.

2. In a motorcycle, the combination with a casing having a bearing, of a motor shaft journaled in said bearing, a driving pulley secured to the motor shaft, a flexible driving element engaging said pulley, an oscillating member having an intermediate sleeve j ournaled on said bearing and provided with an angularly disposed arm at one end thereof, a pulley journaled on said arm, a gear, sector-formed on the other end of the oscillating member, an operating lever having a segmental rack meshing with the gear sector, and means for holding the operating lever in different positions of adjustment.

3. .In a motorcycle, the combination with a casing having a bearing, of a motor shaft journaled in said bearing, a hollow driving pulley mounted on the motor shaft, a flex-- ible driving element engaging said pulley, an oscillating member having a laterally extending sleeve journaled on the bearing and housed within the pulley, one end of said oscillating member being provided with a gear sector, a pulley mounted on the other end of the oscillating member and movable into engagement with the flexible driving element, and an operating lever pivotally mounted above the oscillating member and provided with a segmental rack adapted to mesh with the gear sector.

1. In a motorcycle, the combination with a casing having a bearing and provided with a perforated lug, of a motor shaft ournaled in said-bearing, a driving pulley secured thereto, a flexible driving element engaging said pulley, an oscillating member having a sleeve journaled on the bearing, an idle pulley mounted on the oscillating member and movable into engagement with the flexible driving element, said oscillating member being provided with a gear sector, an operating lever having a laterally extending sleeve and provided with a segmental rack adapted to mesh with the gear sector, a pivot pin extending through the sleeve of the operating lever and the perforated lug of the motor casing, a rack, and a spring actuated plunger adapted to en- .gage the rack for locking the operating lever in adjusted position.

5. In a motorcycle, the combination with a motor shaft and flexible driving element, of an oscillating member disposed concentric with the motor shaft and having one end thereof provided with a, gear sector, a pulley mounted on the other end of the oscillating member and movable into engagement'with the flexible driving element, a toothed rack, an operating lever pivotally mounted above the oscillating member and provided with a segmental rack adapted to engage the gear sector, a plunger operating within thelever, there being registering openings formed in the plunger and lever to permit the passage of the toothed rack, the lower wall of the opening in the plunger being formed with a tooth, a spring interposed between the lower end of the plunger, and a spacing block carried by the lever for normally and yieldably supporting the tooth in engagement with the teeth on the rack.

6. In a motorcycle, the combination with a motor shaft and flexible driving element, of an oscillating member provided with a sleeve disposed concentric with the motor shaft, a pulley mounted on one end of the oscillating member and movable into engagement with the driving element, means operatively connected with the other end of the oscillating member for moving the latter to operative and inoperative positions, and means surrounding the motor shaft" and bearing against the adjacent end of the sleeve for preventing accidental displacement thereof.

7. In a motorcycle, the combination with a casing having a bearing, of a motor shaft journaled in said bearing, a pulley on the motor shaft, a flexible driving element engaging the pulley, a bushing surrounding the bearing, an oscillating member provided with a sleeve journaled on said bushing, means carried by one end of the oscillating member for engagement with the flexible driving element, a lever operatively connected with the other end of the oscillating member for actuating the latter, and a retaining ring threaded in the bushing and provided with an annular flange adapted to bear against the adjacent end of the sleeve for preventing accidental displacement of the oscillating member.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM S. HARLEY. [It s] Witnesses:

WALTER DAVIDSON, JOHN J. BALSOM. 

